Articles
Practical guides for recruiters and hiring managers. Each one starts with the short answer and ends with its sources.
- How to write a hiring brief an AI agent can act onA hiring brief an AI agent can act on names two to four must-haves, a few nice-to-haves, the evidence that would prove each one, and the location, level, pay range and deal-breakers, all in plain words. The agent turns the checkable parts into criteria it can test against each profile, so a specific brief produces a ranking you can audit and a vague one produces almost nothing.For recruiters, 6 min, hiring briefs, sourcing, ai agents
- Interview notes that hold up in a debriefInterview notes hold up in a debrief when they record what the candidate said and did rather than how the interviewer felt, with short quotes and times, organized by the competencies on the rubric. Write them up straight after the interview, before talking to anyone, and tell candidates when a call is recorded, because consent rules differ from place to place.For hiring managers, 5 min, interview notes, debriefs, ai notetakers
- Structured interviews, a practical guideA structured interview asks every candidate the same job-related questions and rates each answer against a written, anchored scale, with interviewers scoring independently before they compare notes. Research finds structured interviews predict job performance better than unstructured conversations, and a 2022 re-analysis ranked them first among common selection methods, though results vary widely between settings.For hiring managers, 5 min, structured interviews, interview rubrics, selection research
- Taking an AI voice screen: what candidates should knowAn AI voice screen is a short first-round interview in which an AI interviewer asks set questions by voice and your answers are rated against the employer's rubric; who makes the decision depends on the employer, so ask. Prepare as you would for any structured interview, ask for an adjustment or a human alternative before you start if you need one, and ask how long the recording is kept.For job seekers, 5 min, ai voice screens, interview preparation, candidate rights
- The hiring funnel numbers worth trackingThe hiring funnel numbers worth tracking are time to first contact, reply rate, screen pass-through, interview-to-offer, offer acceptance, time to fill, time to hire and source of hire, each with a written definition. Read them together, one role at a time, and be wary of small numbers, which swing widely.For talent leaders, 5 min, recruiting metrics, hiring funnel, time to fill
- Using AI in hiring responsibly, a checklistUsing AI in hiring responsibly means telling candidates where AI is used, keeping a person on every decision, checking outcomes for adverse impact, offering adjustments, and keeping only the data you need. Rules to know early include New York City's Local Law 144, Illinois's Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act and the EU AI Act, which lists recruitment as a high-risk use; this checklist is not legal advice.For talent leaders, 6 min, responsible ai, hiring law, adverse impact
- What to ask in a first-round screen, and what to leave outA first-round screen should confirm motivation, check each must-have with one evidence question, and settle location, notice period and pay expectations, all in about 25 minutes. Leave out questions about protected characteristics, and where salary history bans apply, as in California, New York State and New York City, ask what the candidate expects to earn rather than what they earn now.For recruiters, 5 min, phone screens, interview questions, pay transparency
- Writing outreach candidates reply toGood recruiting outreach opens with one specific line about the person's own work, states the role, team, location and pay range, and asks for one small next step. Follow-ups should each add something new, come a few days apart and stop at the first reply, and every message should make it easy to opt out.For recruiters, 5 min, outreach, candidate sourcing, recruiting emails